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Before they could react, I slipped past the guard and sprinted to the vehicle outside the Keep. As Thor stepped out, I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close as if he might disappear again. Thor cried, telling me everything about the night he and Loki were kidnapped and how he couldn't save his younger brother. I ached for him, but I soothed his tears and assured him that everything would be alright. We were together again, and we'd get Loki back too.
"Come on, let's get you inside," I said, guiding Thor back to the royal chambers. I didn't take him to the kids' bedroom, but to the room I shared with Thorsten. Several guards were placed outside to keep us safe.
Signe was there, smiling as she saw Thor alive and well. "I'm happy he's back," I said, my voice cracking slightly, "but I won't rest until both of my sons are returned to me safely."
"Have faith in Thorsten," Signe reassured me. "He'll make sure Loki comes home safely."
"I know," I whispered, watching as Thor finally drifted off to sleep. I softly stroked his cheek, feeling a bit of rumbling downstairs. I asked Signe what was happening, and she told me that the troops were marching out.
I got out of bed and headed to the window, seeing the troops marching out along with some military transport vehicles. My stomach twisted with worry for Thorsten and Loki. I knew how scared Loki probably was right now, and it tore me apart.
I'd never been religious, but I found myself saying a silent prayer into the void, to the cosmos, to anything that would listen, as long as Thorsten and Loki were returned to me safely.
Huginn and Muninn flew down from the high rafters of the royal chambers, as if they could understand my will. I apologized to them for the burden I was placing on them, and sent them out again, hoping they could help Thorsten and Loki in any way possible. If there was anything I could do, no matter how little, to turn the tide in their favor, then I wanted to do that.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THORSTEN
The shadows swallowed Trelleborg Castle whole, its crumbling battlements barely visible against the starless night sky. Not a single light burned within those decaying walls, not a sound disturbed the deathly stillness that had settled over the ancient fortress. I couldn’t believe a structure such as this survived Ragnarok and was able to stand tall in the unsteady grounds of the wetlands. The place was crumbling, no doubt about that, but not sunken like the ruins Skadi’s mercs resided in. We waited, tense and silent, obscured by the dense foliage that choked the marshes. The only light came from the moon hanging overhead, its wan glow casting our faces in shades of silver and shadow.
My muscles were taut and I had to use every ounce of my willpower not to tap my foot nervously as I waited, ready to spring into action at the first sign of the flare that would signal the infiltration team was in position. Beside me, Váli shifted restlessly, his dark eyes scanning the castle for any sign of movement. I knew he yearned to storm those gates, to feel the satisfying crunch of bones giving way beneath his blade. But timing was everything tonight.
Without warning, a crimson starburst lit up the sky. The flare! My heart stuttered as the adrenaline pumped in my veins. This was it. As one, we surged forward, our footfalls muffled by the soft marsh earth. The acrid stench of smoke filled my nostrils as Váli ordered the rune-bombers in place before giving the order to ignite the first bomb. The bombers carried the large balls, the glowing blue letteringFrøretched across its round body. It was a frost bomb, and one strong enough to freeze the doors of the castle to the point of shattering its thick wood to splinters. Fire would have been easier, but also deadly as the marshes here were known for its plumes of igniting gases. A muffled boom rent the air, the shockwave nearly knocking me off my feet. Stone and splintered wood rained down as the entrance imploded.
We charged into the chaos, blades slick with blood and gore as we cut through the dazed and wounded defenders. This almost felt too easy. Something was wrong, but until I knew what it was, we had no choice but to press on. I carved my way deeper into the belly of the keep before ordering my soldiers to spread out and capture any soldier surrendering and kill all those who aren’t.
"To the great hall!" I bellowed. That was surely where the snake Falka lurked. We had to draw him out. The clash and clamor of battle rang in my ears as we forced our way there. Steel sang as it met steel, the guttural shouts of the Undvik soldiers mingling with the death rattles of the fallen. The air was choked with smoke and the coppery tang of spilled blood.
Another implosion rocked the foundations as the bombers detonated a second frost bomb somewhere in the distance. Dust and debris rained down. We were getting close now. The grand doors of the great hall loomed before us. With a savage kick, I burst through, eyes wild for any sign of my quarry.
There! I glimpsed him for an instant, then he was gone, scurrying away like the rat he was. I started to give chase when a hulking brute blocked my path, lips peeled back in a ferocious war cry as he charged, spiked mace held high. I spun away, feeling the wind of the blow rustle my hair. My sword ripped through leather and bit into flesh, felling the warrior.
No time to lose. I pushed all thoughts of wanting to find Loki aside, his fate and that of my sister’s was entrusted to Gunnar. I raced after Falka, down a shadowy stairwell, the rough-hewn steps treacherous beneath my feet. Somewhere above, I heard the ringing clash of steel fade as I descended into the bowels of the keep. The fetid reek of mold and mildew filled my nose along with something else…gas…. Shit! Did he rig this area with explosive gasses?! He must me insane to run down here! Water dripped from warped timbers, the only sound now was my own strained breathing.
A muffled impact, then a flash of agony speared through my skull. I stumbled, crashing to my hands and knees as my visionblurred. Hot blood, black as tar in the gloom, dripped from my temple. Blinking through the haze of pain, I saw the outline of my attacker– one of Falka's loyalists, that cowardly bastard Geirfinn had struck me with something!
“I’m sorry, but you have to die!” he shouted approaching me while I still nursed my wound. “It’s nothing personal, I can’t go bankrupt and my family relies on our trade with Undvik, you know this!”
“You betrayed your country and King over some trade deals?” I spat, the blood stinging. “I will kill you Geirfinn, you whore!”
I rolled away just as he brought the weapon down again, the force of the blow splintering the stairs where I had knelt seconds before.
I spat a curse and surged upwards, driving my blade through leather and between the bastard’s ribs. Through the blood haze, Geirfinn coughed up his insides and let out a bubbling gasp, then collapsed in a heap. Nausea roiled in my stomach at the sight of the corpse. I could smell voided bowels and see the whites of his eyes as the light faded. Bile burned my throat and I felt lightheaded and sick. Not really from the viscera but from fatigue.
The stale air thickened as I ventured deeper, cobwebs brushing my face like grasping fingers. My boot struck something brittle and hollow – bones, scattered across the uneven floor. I found an old rag to wipe at the blood in my eyes, but it only helped me marginally.
“Váli.” I whispered into the radio attached at my hip. “I need back up, I’m on Falk’s trail.” I said before explaining to him where I was and how I got here. And naturally I ignored his warnings to stay where I was. Falka could be leading me directly into a trap, but also this was his chance to escape and if he knew where the rest of my missing family was, walking into a trap was a risk I had to take.
I wiped away more of the fresh blood and continued on, this time more cautiously than before. The silence was as suffocating as the smell of this place.
Each step was treacherous, my skull still throbbing from Geirfinn's attack. A noise - the scrape of a boot on stone. I froze, peering into the oppressive gloom, watching for any twitch of movement. There, along the far wall - a hulking silhouette slipping through a doorway…Falka.
I stalked after him on silent feet, all senses straining, the reptile part of my brain screaming trap. The door led into an ancient library; the knowledge hoarded here now rotting away on molding shelves. Moonlight sliced through rents in the ceiling, casting spectral beams through the swirling dust. Still no sign of my foe.
The stench of gas hung thick in the air - Falka must have rigged this place. One spark could blow it all to Helheim.
A flash of movement - Falka burst from the shadows, dagger glinting as it sliced toward my throat. I twisted away, my sword coming up to parry the next strike. The force of the blow jarredmy teeth. My head screamed in protest, my reactions slowed by blood loss and fatigue. I could not best him like this.
